


The one Where Credence Makes a Friend.

by Zinfandel



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Adventure, Camping, Domestic, Fluff, Gen, M/M, a terrifying friend, credence makes a friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-13
Updated: 2017-01-13
Packaged: 2018-09-17 08:21:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9313295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zinfandel/pseuds/Zinfandel
Summary: Tumblr prompt: for a writing prompt, what about one of newts creatures taking a shine to credence? like how pickett is with newtA few years into their relationship and Newt and Credence are travelling, studying magical beasts and the world. They come to a tropical island to release the Diricawl clutch and find something else there.





	

**Author's Note:**

> We don't proofread, we post un-beta'd fic like men!

Newt sits on an overturned tree with his notebook in his lap.  He is writing his daily log while Credence tends the bonfire and their spitted meat for dinner. Occasionally, Newt looks up to watch Credence turn the skewers or add a log atop the flames. 

 

He grins to himself when Credence, out of apparent quiet boredom, starts to magically manipulate the fire with a mere twiddle of his fingers.  

 

Dusk is upon them and Newt muses how far the pair of them have come.  Not just that they are on one of the small uninhabited tropical Mauritian islands, but also to how comfortable they are about each other. 

 

Credence's magic is still developing even after a few years of taming and practice, but the way he changes the colors of the flames and the directions that they flicker are downright masterful. It has been a challenge for him, coming to terms with the terrible altered power within himself. Credence’s magic is immeasurably immense, but Newt is quite proud of his progress. He watches him now, his notes forgotten, quite pleased with how easily and comfortably Credence is shaping the fire, almost as effortlessly as he adapted to Newt’s chaotic lifestyle.

 

It was a struggle in the beginning, the two of them. How could it not be? Fleeing New York, overcoming decades of fear and prejudice. But they forged onwards, Newt patiently letting Credence acclimate and grow, settle and relax, to learn. Relearn. It took far less time for Credence to really find a sense of self, to gain a personality once he was free to do so. It helped too that Newt was stationary in London while he compiled his notes and edited his manuscript. That Credence could study at his leisure for a year, familiarizing himself with the wizarding world and eventually his own magic, was an ideal situation if Newt ever saw one. He turned out to be extremely bright and took to self study with impressive speed, even Newt’s attempts to help eventually ended up hindering Credence more. 

 

Newt grins at the memory. He never was much of one for formal spell casting, Credence it seems isn’t either.

 

But even so, it wasn’t long until his book was complete and sent to the printers and Newt felt that itching in his feet again. The need to get up and go. And luck of all things was with him when Credence chose to leave with him instead of finding another path. Credence very well could have apprenticed himself to any number of professions, lived very comfortably as a clerk in any of the shops on Diagon Alley. Newt would have graciously given him the funds to do so. He was pleased he didn’t need to.

 

The two of them travelled back to New York with Newt’s book in hand to give to Tina, and then they were off. Newt was commissioned for more volumes, more in-depth research on varying species, more new citations and first hand notations. It was perfect opportunity, to travel, work on his life’s ambition, and show Credence how vast the world really was outside of the dingy gray skies of human cities. So, eagerly they made their way down the American east coast and then out west.

 

And once they were in California, it didn’t take them long to board the Pacific Mail Steamship to Hong Kong and continue travelling west. The meandering journey was certainly slow but Newt and Credence spent much time in China, Taiwan, and Vietnam where Newt was more than happy to pause for a breather and watch Credence absorb the drastically foreign cultures. 

 

Now they found themselves, three years from their initial trip back to New York, off the east coast of Africa. The Diricawl clutch is more than full grown and expanding and it is time to release them back to their native habitat now that mum is more than up to par and rehabilitated after a life of captivity. 

 

The two of them decided on their sail over to release them on the following day after their on foot hike into the jungles of the untouched island and then camp for a few days to be certain the diricawl adapted properly and teleported their way through their new home. A different flock of them resided on the other side of the island and Newt wanted to be sure there were no territorial conflicts. 

 

The fire crackles a jaunty purple as Credence wandlessly plucks their dinner from the heat and hovers a skewer over to Newt. Newt sets his book aside and takes his food with a smile. “You are quite good at this now.”

 

“Mmm,” Credence replies as he sits on a rock across the fire and begins to delicately pick meat from the bones. 

 

Newt isn’t anywhere near as proper when he bites into his food, crunching bone and cartilage alike. The frogs are delicate enough in stature that it doesn’t matter, and Newt of all people knows exactly what his body can digest. He still smiles when he notices Credence’s resigned incredulity, the man knows by now not to ask questions he doesn’t want the answer to. 

 

They eat in silence, listening to the sounds of the forest. The still chirruping birds, the wind through the leaves, the hush of the waves down the mountain and the twinkle of water from the falls hidden in the darkness. It’s a beautiful and hot night, they will forgo pitching a tent to sleep under the stars, one of Newt’s most favorite things. 

 

Newt takes Credence’s leftover bones and eats them as well, mostly to not leave anything behind, but also because he eternally has a voracious appetite. Credence lets him without a blink, used to some of Newt’s eccentricities by now, even if they still visibly confound him. 

 

“Keep the fire high tonight?” Newt asks as he licks and gnaws on the wooden skewer. 

 

“No,” Credence replies as he reaches one arm deeply into the suitcase to start summoning and pulling out their bed things. “I’d rather like to study more on the southern constellations, if you don’t mind.” 

 

“Get out the celestial globe and the sextant while you’re at it then, we can continue with star navigation. Ah, the astrolabe too maybe? No...it is kind of hard to see the horizon here. Hmm…”

 

…

 

“...Newt…”

 

Newt mumbles and rolls over.

 

A tap is at his hip, but he tries to ignore it.

 

“Uhm...Newt…?”

 

“Mmmmwhu-” He grumbles.

 

“Newt,” Credence whispers, but it’s loud in the silent very early morning. “Newt, there’s something...here? I think?”

 

“Mmmm?” Newt asks and rolls back blinking away his drowsiness to look over at Credence next him.

 

Credence is sitting up, his blanket pooled around his hips holding something...dark, er...transparent. He’s looking down at it, moving his hands under it, Newt watches his fingers move through the dim...material? Then, it flutters and twitches and tries to flow up Credence’s arms.

 

“Bloody  _ Mary Lewis _ -!” Newt almost shrieks as he jumps to his feet, skipping back away from Credence and their beds, stumbling right through the ashes of their fire.

 

“W-wand! Credence, where’s my wand?!”

 

“hu-?” Credence blinks, his eyes going wide as saucers.

 

“Wand! Where’s my wand?! That’s a  _ Lethifold _ !” 

 

Credence is not feeling the danger, clearly, and Newt scrambles around their campsite overturning the celestial globe and his notebook and quills. “Highly dangerous creature, Credence! Get rid of it! It’s trying to  _ eat _ you- AH!”

 

Finally, with wand in hand, Newt shoots to his feet and aims without wasting anymore precious time “ _ Expecto Patronum _ !” 

 

Credence is left stunned and blinking, his hands empty once the wispy white spell dissipates. Newt is huffing, his shoulders slumping in jittery relief. He too is left blinking the bright spots from his eyes as he lurches over and flops back down next to Credence. 

 

“You could have died. I could have died! Merlin’s garters, what were you thinking-?”

 

And Credence is shifting uneasily beside him, looking down at his hands in his lap. “I...don’t know? It didn’t seem...malicious. It was...It was just a shadow…”

 

Newt catches his breath and finally gets a good look at Credence. He’s pale, all color having fled from his face from what Newt can make out in the dark of night, and he can make out quite a lot with the way his eyes are now. He is also trembling minutely.

 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry Credence, I didn’t expect any lethifold to inhabit this island or I would have taken better precaution. They prey on humans, killing them in their sleep. No one knows how they do it, not many have lived after a lethifold sets it’s er….sights on you.” 

 

Credence is still looking down, he folds his hands together and tucks them in close to his shirt. “I think it was hungry,” He mumbles. 

 

“You think…?” Newt tries to prompt him.

 

“I think it was hungry, it seemed to shiver? Like it would blow away on the breeze, but I felt it, it woke me up, tickling up my arm and...and…” Credence takes a breath and looks out into the inky blackness of the forest surrounding them. 

 

“And it sat in my lap and played with my fingers until I woke you up. They’re a dangerous creature?” He glances back at Newt just for a moment. 

 

Newt relaxes finally, laying back down, leaving his wand next to his hand. He stares up at the stars they can see in their small clearing. “I never encountered one myself until now, they are quite rare. The details about them in my book as of the first edition are by second hand accounts. They do however crop up in muggle mythology. Their effects on the human body, paralysis as they devour life essence or magic, has been written about extensively in the form of demon visitations and night hags. Peculiar stuff. A shame I had to kill this one…”

 

“Kill it?”

 

“The patronus charm, a manifestation of happy good thoughts kills or repels them. Similar to a Dementor?”

 

“I read your book, yes,” Credence says quietly as he too lays back down next to Newt, pulling his blanket back up to his chin. “I don’t think it’s dead though. I felt it flee...i think.” 

 

“Really?”

 

“Mmm…” Newt hums thoughtfully, “We’ll need to keep an eye out then. Maybe we can learn something…”

 

…

 

The  next morning, the two of them go about their duties, Credence wanders off to the creek to see about fish for breakfast while Newt packs up their camp and prepares the Diricawl for release in the case. 

 

He hears a knocking on the suitcase while he’s tending to breakfast for the other animals, so he grabs a loaf of bread, the butter, and teacups on his way up. 

 

Credence has the fire up again and has skewered four small fish over the flames expertly. Newt is always surprised by Credence’s vast and varied skills. Who knew a boy raised in the heart of manhattan could fish and cook on a campfire? Newt doesn’t question where Credence learned to survive though, he can guess well enough. Instead, he sets out the rest of breakfast, delighted in the odd mix of the frivolous accoutrements to Credence’s primitive meal that his painted teacups make. 

 

Newt lets the water boil over the flames naturally as he stretches and cracks his back. 

 

Over fish and tea Newt speaks up. “Would you like to sleep in shifts tonight to try and watch for the lethifold? I was thinking we might want to extend our stay to try and attract it again. We are the only humans on the island, lord knows what it’s been subsisting on the whole way out here…”

 

Credence merely nods, but Newt swears he catches a small smile. 

 

…

 

That night, the pair of them are exhausted. They return to their first camp after a full day of hiking and then chasing Diricawl who didn’t want to venture more than ten feet from Newt’s gaze. 

 

It was an exasperating endeavor to say the least, but Newt is sure that all of them have been properly scared off so that they shouldn’t find them again right away. But, the island is small and there is no accounting for the distance a diricawl can teleport really. 

 

Newt sighs and scrubs at the scruff on his chin. “Shall I take first shift?” He asks as he is changing his shirt for sleep. 

 

Credence is off a bit in the distance, washing up under the cascades of the nearby creek. Newt can’t see him through the trees in the dark of night, but he knows Credence can hear him. “If you insist,” he calls back, his voice spluttery with water. 

 

So Newt prepares their beds and douses their campfire once Credence is back and in his blanket. “I’ll wake you then,” he says as Credence nods and lays down.

 

The night is calm and quiet, the breeze slight, but the humidity is low so the air is comfortable and Newt spends his time watching the stars move and keeping an ear open for any approaching hushes of a lethifold curling over leaves. 

 

He hears nothing and sees nothing even with his improved sight, so the hours pass slow and uneventful. 

 

It seems ages when he finally rubs Credence’s shoulder to wake him. Credence blinks to awareness, his eyelashes fluttering prettily as he sits up and rubs at his face. He too is starting to get a little bit of stubble. It’s much more noticeable on him with his dark hair. Newt finds it attractive, but he doesn’t comment on it as the pair of them silently switch roles.

 

Newt lays down and is asleep in moments.

 

…

 

In the morning, Newt awakes to Credence already stoking the fire. He rolls to his side and watches Credence work.

 

He is shirtless, his breeches rolled above his knees, sand all up his bare feet and calves. His hair is still a bit damp, and it curls in loose rings framing his face and newt can see salt dried across his shoulders and arms. A sizeable ocean fish rests on a large leaf to the side of the fire. He’s certainly been busy.

 

Newt is about to comment just that when Credence’s dark eyes find his. He ducks away rather quickly however before speaking. “Once the sky lightened i hiked to the ocean, I thought there would be no harm with daylight, I’m sorry.”

 

“Dnn ‘pol’gize,” Newt mumbles as he pushes himself to sit up. He wipes the sleep from his face with his blanket before glancing around and finding a cup of steaming tea by his wand, just in reach. With a heartfelt sigh, Newt grabs for his tea and downs half of it in one go, delighted by the care Credence took while he was asleep. “Thank you.”

 

Credence nods as he fashions a makeshift grill over the fire with some stones and green branches. Then, he lays the fish, leaf and all over the flames to cook. It looks delicious. Newt watches it for a while before his brain catches up with him. “Oh! Did you see anything on your watch?”

 

Credence shifts and fiddles with the teapot. Curious. He takes a moment before muttering, “not exactly.”

 

“Mmm?”

 

“I heard some things i guess...could have been birds or animals?”

 

“Ah, alright then. Maybe tonight it will come back. If it is starved it certainly shouldn’t be passing up on a double meal like us. I wonder exactly how we might capture it…”

 

“Capture it?” Credence asks, looking back to him finally.

 

“Oh sure, for study of course. Though...i suppose the moral implications of releasing a lethifold back into the wild are rather...dubious…” Newt muses aloud as he sips his tea. Dubious indeed. It would probably make them an accessory to murder, wouldn’t it…

 

He shrugs and focuses back on Credence who is idly rubbing the sand off his legs as he pokes at the fire with a stick.

 

…

 

This evening, they move their camp.

 

The Diricawl all found them halfway through their day and it took them the second half to shake them and erase their trail. Newt is delightfully annoyed. He really does like his flock of birds but he simply cannot keep them. They’ll do much better out here with acres of land at their teleporting disposal anyways. 

 

“I’ll take first watch tonight,” Credence says after dinner.

 

“Are you sure? You’ve been up for a very long time, I don’t mind taking first.”

 

“I’m not the one who insisted he swing through trees to get rid of his scent on the ground today,” Credence counters with an ever so small half smile.

 

Newt grins back. “I’m so sorry that i’m not the pure embodiment of chaotic black magic and therefore have no earthly scent.”

 

And he is delighted when Credence actually laughs out loud at the teasing prod. Newt cannot help but crack out laughing himself spurred on by Credence’s pleasure. 

 

The two of them continue to joke and needle at each other as they prepare their beds, and Newt lays down to take the first rest light hearted and content. 

 

…

 

Newt blinks to consciousness into the gray light of early dawn. 

 

Credence never woke him for his watch.

 

All sleepy lassitude whips away as Newt freezes where he lies, alarm locking up his body, preventing any sudden movements. 

 

Subtly, he reaches a hand out to see if Credence is asleep beside him. The cold bedroll tells him no. 

 

Then, he hears a rustling off across the firepit. With slow and quiet movements, Newt turns his head. He sees Credence hunched over a log. He’s squatting on his bare feet, his knees tucked up to his chest and he’s...his arms are outstretched  across the log and he seems to be…

 

What is he doing?

 

Pushing at something? Pulling something off of his arms? It’s still too dark to tell really.

 

But in the quiet pre-dawn moment, Newt hears Credence’s voice carry across the clearing, quietly speaking.

 

“No, no it’s almost dawn you have to...Come on, get off I can’t...No i won’t let you eat him, of course not. Go on now. You’re going to wake him up..Get. Get off, go-”

 

“Credence?” Newt asks as he finally relaxes and sits up, rubbing at his eyes. 

 

“Newt!” Credence says spinning around and landing on his knees. “Good...uh...morning? Why are you awake so early?”

 

“You never woke me for my shift. Why not?” 

 

“Ah, uh…” Credence mumbles, then buys himself some time as he gets to his feet and goes over to the fire to lay logs in the embers. “You seemed really tired, and uh...peaceful. I didn’t want to wake you.”

 

“Aren’t you tired, though?”

 

“No, not really, uhm...what would you like for breakfast?” 

 

“I’ll go catch a fish today, why don’t you prepare some tea?” Newt offers, noticing Credence shying away from any forthcoming explanation of what he was talking to. Newt doesn’t quite believe Credence thinks he got away with whatever he was doing unnoticed, but he isn’t one to press for answers when he is unwilling.

 

Newt folds his blanket up before taking his wand with him to hike down to the shore to go fishing leaving Credence to his duties and secret. If he wants to tell Newt, he will. 

 

It’s about an hour late when Newt comes back with crabs and conch shells instead of a fish to find Credence asleep sitting up with his head propped up by his arm resting against the log. Newt smiles and lets him sleep. 

 

…

 

And this night, Newt has a plan. Sort of. 

 

Credence once again offered to take the first shift of watch, and Newt let him easily enough. Credence had slept half of the day away anyways, he was perfectly lively in the evening to do the job. 

 

But now, Newt lays faking sleep to the best of his ability, waiting. 

 

Credence was talking to something this morning, and Newt has a pretty good idea as to what, and if what is happening that he thinks is happening, well. Well, it’s worth finding out and he thinks Credence might be too spooked from their first encounter to confide in Newt as of yet. So he waits. 

 

And waits.

 

But isn’t disappointed in the least. 

 

A soft sussing sounds to Newt’s left in the dark underbrush of the forest. He can’t help but tense up. That is definitely a lethifold. Gliding across the ground. Towards him. Oh merlin, Credence doesn’t know how to make a patronus yet…

 

“Ah, ah,” Newt hears softly from his right. There is a crunch of shoe against twigs that signals Credence stepping right up beside Newt in the dark. With his eyes closed, newt cannot make out what is visibly happening, but his ears tell him much. 

 

“None of that now, come here you,” Credence whispers. The sound of his clothing stretching with him is just over Newt’s head. A cool breeze follows and then Credence is stepping away.

 

Does he have it? Did Credence seriously pick up a lethifold? It let him? 

 

Warmth and light heat the side of Newt’s face and he can see a reddish glow through his eyelids that accompanies the sound of fire crackling to life. Then, it is gently shadowed and Newt assumes Credence sat in front of the bonfire. Clever. 

 

But, also fortunate, because now Newt dares to crack open his eye ever so much. His guesses are confirmed when he sees Credence’s back towards him, and a softly undulating living shadow spilling out across his lap. 

 

Mercy Lewis indeed. Is he petting it? The way his shoulder moves suggests as much. Newt feels his mouth fall open in quiet astonishment. 

 

Would this suggest Lethifolds are sentient? Can they think? Choose their victims? Choose not to care? Maybe he was going too far, it was most certainly coming to attack him in his sleep just then, but now it seems quite content to be handled and caressed in Credence’s lap, warmed by a fire…

 

Credence is mumbling to it as well. Can it understand him? Can he understand it? Newt has so very many questions and they are getting out of hand and he shifts unconsciously to get a better view and-

 

Credence freezes.

 

“Newt?”

 

Damn.

 

Damnit. Of course he forgot to remain quiet. “Yes?” he answers in a whisper.

 

“Uhm…” Credence says then curls in on himself a bit...hugging the lethifold?

 

It takes him a moment to shake himself into action, but Newt gets to his knees and shuffles over to Credence bringing his blanket with him. He settles down beside Credence and the Lethifold and immediately turns to it sitting like docile dark folds of fabric in Credence’s lap. 

 

“...Wow…” Newt can’t help but whisper.

 

Credence is silent, and Newt cannot even see his hands within the mass of folded deadly sentient gloom. Tentatively, Newt reaches out to touch the thing. It is soft and pliant like liquid silk and he rubs his finger across the darkness. Credence is watching his hand like a hawk and soon enough, the lethifold begins to pleat and crease in movement. It wraps an edge of itself around Newt’s finger and slides up his hand.

 

“Wow,” Newt can’t help but say again. He lets the creature shroud his skin, watching his hand and wrist pale under its body. It is really very thin, it most certainly is starved. 

 

And that is about the moment when a peculiar drowsiness leadens his eyes. Newt blinks lazily, dazed in wonderment as the lethifold gathers up his forearm, he grins in dull fascination. 

 

“I said he was off limits,” Credence breathes sharply and yanks the creature back forcefully. 

 

Newt is blinking like he is waking up a second time before he knows quite what is happening, but his eyes widen and dart up to Credence’s who is staring back almost scared, but more importantly guilty.

 

“Newt...Newt, I’m so sorry it’s, It’s ah…” 

 

“Hush, it’s fine,” Newt says distractedly as he reaches out to poke the lethifold again. Credence, however, pulls it away from his touch a deep upset furrow in his brow. “Was it eating me?”

 

“I think so?” Credence murmurs as he folds the thing in on itself making it more manageable. Newt silently marvels at the sheer amount of power it is letting Credence have over it. It either must be extremely weak, or capable of some sentience after all…

 

“And it’s not eating you?” 

 

“Uh...i think it is actually?” 

 

Newt sucks in a sharp breath of his own, his hand reaching out to grip Credence’s wrist. 

 

“But it’s ok, i think,” Credence hurries to add on. “I mean for now. Maybe? I don’t really know, but...but well...i sort of feel it? Sucking out my magic just a bit, some of that darkness. And you know how immense it is, the obscurus...It’s like it is trying to pull an entire desert through a tiny straw. I’m sorry Newt, this isn’t good is it?” 

 

Newt looks down at the folds of the monster again, loosening his grip on Credence’s wrist but not letting go. “Is it hurting you? Does it hurt when it does this?”

 

“No.”

 

“No?”

 

“No, not really. It is a little uncomfortable? But...but it is almost calming. I’m not sure how to describe it….Normally,” Credence pauses and swallows, lets his hand be engulfed by the lethifold once more. The edges of it tickle at Newt’s fingertips. “Normally, the obscurus...my magic is so...overwhelming, just under my skin churning and rasping at my insides wanting out. Always want out to burn hot and fast and explode. Pressure like a steam engine, maybe. But with the lethifold...there is a focus. There is an outlet in the dam and the pressure isn’t quite so great. It’s...relieving,” Credence finishes, his voice falling smaller and more timid as he speaks. 

 

Newt can’t help but gape. 

 

But, after a moment he picks himself back together. “ I didn’t know it was still like that for you?”

 

“I think it will always be like this for me. I just learned better ways to ease the pressure with less destructive methods.”

 

“Like playing with the fire?”

 

And here, Credence finally smiles again. It loosens something in Newt’s chest to see it. He is relieved.

 

“Yes, like playing with the fire. Summoning supplies from the case, levitating what i may. Erasing my human scent...catching fish…”

 

“I didn’t know you were employing so much magic,” Newt wonders allowed. 

 

“As much as is practical and non-destructive. It helps. Surprisingly, the lethifold does too…” 

 

Newt grins. “And it seems to quite enjoy finally having a human meal,” He says as he pokes the thing. It rears up in response rippling folds of sheer black back at him. “Can it understand you?”

 

“Maybe a little? I think it is more willing to if it is getting energy from me…”

 

“Can you understand it?”

 

“No? What do you mean?”

 

“Well, you’ve been talking to it. This morning and earlier…”

 

“So you did hear me,” Credence says a little ruefully.

 

“Yeah, i was waiting to see what might happen tonight. I certainly wasn’t disappointed, hm?” 

 

“Mmm,” Credence hums as he looks back down to the lethifold and begins to gently fold it over itself in haphazard wrinkles. 

 

“Well, I think this expedition is quite the success, don’t you?” Newt asks as he stretches his arms out in front of himself and curls his back until his vertebrae pop. “Very informative.”

 

“Are we capturing it then?”

 

“Do you want to keep it?”

 

“I think so, yes…”

 

“Then the lethifold is well and truly captured, wouldn’t you say? I can see it is quite averse to captivity already.” 

 

Credence smiles a small thing.

 

“And it would be plain cruel to leave a predator of humans trapped on an uninhabited island. Let’s not think too deeply of the implications of bringing it back to society though…” Newt tacks on flippantly. He’s long ago reconciled his morals with the needs of the creatures he keeps, and while none of them yet subsist off human flesh, he has had quite the time in obtaining fresh meat for all of his carnivorous companions. A Nundu and a Lethifold do rest on the same danger rating, it shouldn’t be too much of a hardship to take on another five star predator. Really. 

 

“Will that be a problem?”

 

“Could be. We’ll tackle it when we come to it, I think. As far as I know, lethifolds are so rare and feed so infrequently the last known sighting was over hmm...forty years ago give or take, and that wasn’t even due to a death.”

 

“Alright.” 

 

“We’ll introduce it to the case in morning, sound alright with you? Let’s get some sleep.” 

 

Credence nods with a content sort of smile and the pair of them crawl back over to their sleeping pads, one half of Credence’s body veiled in soft black. 

**Author's Note:**

> A week later, they are in the Magical Madagascar Markets and Newt doesn't quite know how to feel about the wide swathe the pair of them are given. The witches and wizards avoid them and Newt can tell they don't really know why for. He grins at the irony of it, but tamps that down when he remembers the sanity of their unconscious choice too. 
> 
> Credence walks in front of him, parting the sea of patrons. Newt can tell he is nervous but he bears himself well. Newt isn't about to overtake him either, he quite likes their uninhibited path, usually he is knocking shoulders just trying to get through, and even though they are making a scene they seem to not be garnering any attention either. 
> 
> Newt knows precisely why, of course. And it is the crux of his problem. They are among the very few white European wizards in the market but that isn't quite it. No, what is separating them from the rest is Credence.
> 
> Credence and the gently billowing half translucent Lethifold that is draped across his shoulders as a living cloak. 
> 
> It is quite an imposing sight, and one that Newt most certainly appreciates.
> 
> With the lethofld, Credence stands tall, his shoulders squared. He is actually quite an intimidating height, and with him dressed from head to toe in black? In the middle of the sweltering summer sun? with a cloak that seems to absorb all light? Yes, Newt knows exactly why they are given a wide berth.
> 
> And though no one else quite comprehends the sheer absurdity of a lethifold performing stoically as a cloak, they do have enough sense to stay back. 
> 
> All in all though, it makes running errands exceptionally quick.
> 
> ...
> 
> Taking writing prompts at my tumblr, zinfandelli.tumblr.com


End file.
